The disclosure relates to an applicator for treating skin.
Such an applicator is known from DE 10 2004 032 892 A1. The known applicator has a needle plate, which can be actuated by means of a lifting device and with which the skin, in the area where an active-substance patch is later to be applied for example, is multiply perforated in order to form passages for the active substances stored in the active-substance patch. With active-substance patches of this kind, the active substances can pass through the skin and into the body as long as the passages are open. The self-healing process of the body means that the passages close again independently, for example after a few hours. The needles that are used in this context are in particular so-called micro-needles which, with the correct dimensions, cause almost no pain during perforation.
Micro-needles that are made of porous silicon or of biodegradable polymer and that can remain in the skin are also known from the prior art. The material, suitably produced, is automatically slowly decomposed by the intracellular liquid of the body such that, with micro-needles of this kind, the passages allow the active substance to pass through for about 2 to 3 days.
A problem when using certain known applicators is that the use of active-substance patches, for example, requires preparation and/or disinfection of the skin at the area to be perforated, so as to avoid infections of the perforated area of skin. The area of skin to be perforated is usually disinfected manually, for example using a swab soaked with disinfectant, and errors can arise both as regards the position of the subsequently perforated area of skin and also as regards the correct amount of disinfectant. Moreover, a high degree of spatial precision is also needed when applying the active-substance patch, so as to ensure that the active substances of the active-substance patch can penetrate as completely as possible into the skin.